Machine for panning bread and like doughs



i 1951 I l. M. ARCHER 2,536,249

' MACHINE FOR PANNING BREAD AND LIKE DOUGHS Filed Dec. 18, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYJ Jan. 2, 1951 1. M. ARCHER 2,536,249

MACHINE FOR PANNING BREAD AND LIKE DOUGHS Filed Dec. 18, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 2 70 7a 7/ 69 72 w /Z 6 5 74 74 45 a 4; 4 9/ 5 as 6 2 27gi/ 24 I6 /7 6 40 43 43 52 5.; 57/ i 66 I L E 42 43' 22 2/ 4P" 67 IN VENTOR.

A TI'ORNEYJ Patented Jan. 2, 1951 MACHINE FOR PANNING BREAD AND IlIKEDOUGHS Irving M. Archer, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Campbell TaggartResearch Corporation, Kansas City Mo., a corporation of MissouriApplication December 18, 1944, Serial No. 568,628

1 Claim.

This invention relates to machines for panning bread and like doughspreparatory to baking and has for its principal object to provide asimple and eflicient apparatus for automatically controlling movement ofpans into receiving position responsive to delivery of shaped pieces ofdough from a depositing mechanism.

Other objects -"of the invention are to provide for successive movementof the pans into positive registry with the pieces of dough beingdelivered by the depositing mechanism; to provide an apparatus whichassures accurate placement of the dough in the pans; to provide amechanism for stopping the pans in registry with the dough depositingmechanism; to provide means for electrically controlling the registeringmechanism; to provide an electrical control that is of simpleconstruction and adapted to be energized by any standard lightingcircuit; and to provide an electrical control adapted to be energized inrapid sequence without overheating thereof.

' Other objects of the invention are to provide an actuator for thecontrol mechanism in the form of an electromagnet having ample powerresponsive to initial flow of the current and to provide means incircuit therewith for automatically reducing flow of current after thearmature of the electromagnet has closed, and to provide a spring forassisting release of the armature and which' is loaded during thatportion of the movement just prior to contact with the pole pieces sothat the spring does not act against the initial movement of thearmature.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the inventionhereinafterpointed out, I have provided improved structure, the preferred form ofwhich is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: 1

Fig. 1 is a side 'elevational view of a machine constructed inaccordancewith the present invention and showing a piece of dough in position tobe deposited'iinto a pan being retained in receiving position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the pan control and registeringmechanism in released position for permitting advance of the pans.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the machine.

Fig. 4 is a 'p'rspective view of the registering and latching wheelassembly, together with the supporting brackets whereby the assembly isadapted to be readily removed and replaced with another assembl.ssuitable to different size pans.

Fig. 5 is as" e; view of the latch wheel for efiecting deposi of twopieces of dough in a pan as when bakinggtwin or divided loaves of bread.

Referring niorein detail to the drawings:

Iii

I designates an apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentinvention and which includes a supporting frame 2, carrying a pair oflaterally spaced conveyer belts 3 and 4 operating over pulleys 5 at therespective ends of the frame 2 and adapted for delivering pans intoreceiving relation with a conveyer 6 which delivers pieces of dough Ifrom a molding machine .for deposit in the pans as they move intoreceiving position with respect to the discharge end of the conveyer 6.The pans 8 are of any standard type and may be individual or strappedtogether as desired. The pans are spaced apart incidental to the shapethereof as indicated'at 9. The pans are retained in alignment on theconveyer belts by guide rails I0 and II suitably supported by the frame2.

The delivery end of the dough depositing conveyer 6 is guided by pulleysi2 and I3 arranged relative to each other to provide an inclined run l4down which the pieces of dough I slide into the pans as the pans areadvanced by the conveyer belts.

In order to stop a pan in dough receiving position, it is necessary toprovide a pan registering and controlling mechanism l5 now to be de-"scribed.

In carrying out the present invention, pan registering and controlmechanism [5 includes a substantially disk-like rotor l6 that is fixedto a shaft I! having the ends [8 and i9 thereof rotatably mounted inbearing brackets 20 and 2| carried by the respective sides of the frame'2 as best shown in Fig. 3, the rotorjbeing preferably positioned midwaybetween the conveyer belts whereby projecting stops or fingers 22 on theperiphery thereof are adapted to engage within the spaces 9substantially in the manner of teeth of a gear wheel meshing with thespaces between the teeth of a rack, the rack being analogous to thepans. The fingers 22 are of a length and spacing to accommodate the panstherebetween and other rotors must be substituted when pans of differentwidth or spacing are to be used.

Mounted on the shaft I! are latch wheels 23 and 24 which are arrangedonthe respective sides of a detent supporting lever .25. The latchwheels 23 and 24 have hubs 25' adapted. to be secured to the shaft 11 byset screws or the like 21 whereby the latch wheels ar'e' 'removable fromoperating relationship with the lever and secured by tightening the setscrews so that the latch wheels are turned with the rotor. The latchwheel 23 has a periphery shaped to provide a plurality of dwells 28'corresponding in number with the fingers 22 on the rotor. Interposed'bewheels may be inserted and removed as a unit as when substituting aunit having latch wheels and finger spacing necessary for controlling 4broken in the magnet winding, the action in the secondary springsupplements that of the primary spring to overcome any magnetismremaining in the pole pieces. Therefore, the detent lever is quicklydisengaged and automatically returned to latching engagement with one orthe other of the latch wheels depending upon which of the wheels isbeing used as later described.

In order to effect release of the detent lever whenever a piece of,dough l is in position to be'deposited ina pan, I provide a vane 68fixed to a shaft 69 that is adjustably supported on pans of differentwidths and" spacing, the 'bra'ckets and 2| have upwardly opening sockets36' through which the ends of the shaft l! are readily passed forsupport in bearing portions '31 in the bottoms thereof (Fig. 4). Toposition rotors of different diameter relative to the pans, the bearingbrackets-have plate portions 38 provided with slots 39 registering withthreaded openings 41!.- in legs 4| and 42 of the frame to passfastening, devices such asbolts 43 (Fig. 3) whereby the brackets. mayberaisedv and lowered so that the periphery of a selected rotor willsubstantially register with the plane of the upper run. of the.conveyer, belts. The detent lever ispivotally mounted on a stud 44carried by a bracket '45 (Fig. 3). The lever has one arm as extendingtothe latch wheels and terminates thereover for supporting laterallydirected detents. 41' and 48 on the respective sides thereof, thedetents beingshaped to seat within the dwells of the re-. spective latchwheels. The lever also; has-a rearwardly extending arm 49 connected by aclevis 50 with the armature 5| of an electromagnet 52, the electromagnetbeing mounted on a shelf 53 which shelf also carries the bracket 45.-'I-he shelf in turn is carried-by arms 54 projectingfrom the brackets20 and 2 previously described.

The electromagnet includes interconnected pole pieces 55 and 56, one ofwhich mounts a winding 51 and the other an armature 5|, the armaturebeing pivotally connected by; a, pin 58. extending through dependingears 59 on the armatureand registering ears 60 on the pole pieces 56.The armature is normally retained in spaced position with respect to thepole pieces by a coil spring 61 having one end anchored to the base 62of the magnet and the other end to a pin 63 projecting from the pivotedend of the armature. The spring preferably has only sufficient action tolift the armature from the pole pieces and supplement the weight of thearm 25 of the lever in retaining one of the detents in engagement withits latch wheel as later described.

In order to effect a slightly greater pull onthe armature when circuitis broken through the winding, I provide a' secondary spring 64 havingone end 65 anchored to the arm 46 of the detent. lever and having itsother end 66 extending loosely through an opening in the shelf 53' andcarrying a stop 5! on the underside'of the shelf; the length of thespring being sufficient' so that when a detent is in engagement with adwell of a latch wheel, the stop 61 is'spac'ed from the shelf as shownin Fig. land the spring is contracted. Therefore, the" magnet does nothave to overcome the action in the'spring. dur-:

ign-the initial'attractive force of the p'olev pieces on the armature;however, during the final move-' ment of the armature the stop 67en'gagesth'e underside of the shelf as shown in Fig. 2 and thespringis;loaded '50 that. when the currentl is brackets HI and fill-that arecarried by the rodlike frame'lz which includes a cross bar portion 13mounting brackets and leg portions 74 which terminate in foot, portions15 adjustable in sleeve portions E6 of brackets 18, the brackets 18being fixed to the sides of themain frame 2. Carried by the bracket H isa switch 19 having a projecting push pin 89 adapted to be -aetuated toclose circuit through the switch by a sprin leaf Bl as shown in, Fig. 1Fixed on the shaft 89 in registryqw-ith, the spring 82 is, a cam- 83having a high -lob e portion 84 arrangedto press against thespring whenthe shaft is rocked through deflection of .thfi- Vane 68 by. apiece ofdough: discharged from the conveyer-fi.

One terminal ofthe switch is connectedby'; a conductor 85 with a servicewire 81 while-the other terminal of the switch is connected by-aconductor 83 with one of the terminals ofthe electromagnet, the otherterminal being 0011-. nected by a conductor 89 with the other servicewire 90 to complete an-electric circuit through the magnet winding whenthe switch is closed.-

In order that full line current may be sup plied to the magnet foreffecting initial pullonthe armature and to prevent heating of the,wind-- ing by the current-after the initial surge has,

passed through the magnet winding, a resistance element 9! is-connectedinto the conductor 88 by branch conductors 92- and 93, the resistanceele-; ment illustrated being a lamp having a filament 94 which when coldoffers, little resistance to the, flow of current inthe electromagnetwinding butv as the lamp filament heats the electrical resistanceincreasesv to automatically reduce the current flow-through the winding;however, by this time the armature has snapped to closed POSi-e. tionand the current flow is ample toretain the armature. v

It is thusobvious that a high initial surge of current is passed throughthe magnet to effect 4 positive closure of the armature and that thecurrent is automatically reduced by the rapidly increasing resistance ofthe heating filament to. avoid excessive heating of the magnet coil.

The-resistance element may be located in any convenient position but isshown as mounted ad-.: jacent the electromagnet on the shelf 53.. Thevane 68 is kept in circuit opening position by a counterbalance 95mounted on an arm- 96cm: tending'from the shaft 69. I In operating amachine'constructed and as-' sembled as described, the pans 8 whichmaybe in strapped units as shown are placed on the conveyor belts 3 and4 'in side to' side relation 'so that they are carried under theconveyor belt 6' as shown in Fig. 1. The belts v3 and 4 being con:tinuouslydrivemmove the pans therealong until the foremost pan. engagesa'n upwardly'pro'j'e'cting finger 22 0f one of the rotors. When a singlepiecerof dough is to be deposited in each pan 'il,

A the latch wheel'z t'is moved "on'the shaft so that the detent: 4B isdisengaged therefrom and the latch wheel 23 is placed in position andsecured to the shaft I! so that the detent 41 engages the dwellsthereof. Therefore, the detent 41 of the lever will latch the rotor 23in a position with one of the fingers 22 projecting in the path of theforemost pan to detain the pans on the belts while the belt is slidingunder the bottoms thereof.

With the molding machine in operation, pieces of dough 1 are beingdelivered to the conveyer 6 so that when the first piece of doughreaches the discharge end thereof and slides down the inclined portion[4 of the belt it deflects the vane 68 to effect closure of the switchand effect current flow through the winding 51 of the electromagnetwhereby the induced magnet sm in the pole pieces draws the armature 5|thereagainst and rocks the detent lever 25 so that the detent 48 islifted away from the latch wheel 23 whereupon the motive force acting onthe pans by the moving belts starts movement of the pans to turn therotor. By this time the piece of dough has dropped into the foremost panand the weight 95 fixed to the shaft 69 returns the vane to normalposition allowing the switch to open whereupon the springs iii and 64are effective in press ng the detent 41 against the cam portion 29 toexert a thrust on the latch wheel to bring the latch wheel into positionso that the detent enters immediately following dwell portion 28 whichmovement also brings the succeeding finger 22 of the rotor 16 into thespace 9 between the next adjacent pans and as the end of the firstfinger passes under the forward edge of the foremost pan the oppositeside of the succeeding finger is engaged by the foremost side of thefollowing pan. When the next piece of dough drops into the pan thenregistering with the discharge end of the conveyer 6, the abovementionedoperations are repeated.

It is obvious that when the circuit to the winding of the electromagnetis closed the lamp filament 96 offers slight resi tance to the currentso that maximum current fiows through the winding to exert a strong pullon the armature, loading the spring 6| and the final movement thereofloading the spring 64. As the filament heats the current isautomaticallv reduced in the winding to prevent heating thereof. Whenthe current is broken the action of both springs is ample to move thearmature even though some effect of the magnetism may remain in the polepieces.

When it is de ired to deposit two pieces of dou h in a pan. the latchwheel 23 is removed or moved out of position relative to the detent 4!and the latch wheel 24 is moved into position so that the detent 48 enages in the dwell 33 thereof. Therefore, when the electromagnetfunctions after de ositing a piece of dough in the forward side of apan, the detent works into the followin dwell 32 so that the an is advanced a distance to permit deposit of the next piece of dough along ideof the first deposited piece of dough. Upon the next action the pans areadvanced to bring the foremost portion of the following pan intoposition to receive the next piece of dough. It is thus noted that withthe use of latch wheel 24, two pieces of dough will be deposited in eachpan.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a machine forautomatically depositing dough in pans wherein the operations arepositive to assure accurate placement of the dough in the pans as thepans are delivered into receiving position with the dough depositingconveyer.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A machine for panning dough and the like including a pair ofcontinuously operatable laterally spaced endless conveyors having upperruns for carrying pans strapped together in spaced apart relation withthe pans resting transvcrsely on said runs and spanning the spacetherebetween, a wheel having radially projecting fingers spaced inaccordance with the spaces between the pans, means for mounting said;wheel below said upper runs of the conveyors for rotation in a verticalplane extending parallel with the direction of movement of the conveyorsand with the fingers projecting above the upper runs and in position tobe successively engaged by the pans when the pans are moved by saidconveyors, means having latching connection with said wheel to stoprotation of said wheel for stopping movement of the pans by said upperruns of the conveyors, a conveyor for carrying pieces of dough andhaving a downwardly sloping terminal portion for discharging pieces ofdough into said pans, a vane having pivotal sup" port above the terminalportion and having a free edge extending in the direction of the slopingterminal portion of the conveyor to be in position for contact by thepieces of dough moving down the sloping terminal portion of the doughcarrying conveyor, a rock member connected with the vane and adapted topivot there with, and a connection between the rock member and saidlatching means for releasing the wheel upon movement of said vane tofree the pans for movement by said spaced conveyors.

IRVING M. ARCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

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